Pret A Manger is facing a staffing crisis because of Brexit

Sandwich chain Pret a
Manger is facing a major staffing crisis because of
BrexitGetty
Images

Pret A Manger is facing a major staffing crisis after Brexit
because British people do not want to work there, according to
the chain's human resources boss.

Only one in 50 job applicants to the hugely popular sandwich
chain is British, HR chief Andrea Wareham told a government
committee.

The staff at the high-street chain come from 110 different
nationalities, with 65% of those from outside the UK being EU
citizens, she last night.

"I would say that one in 50 people that apply to our company to
work is British," she told the House of Lords Economic Affairs
Committee.

Pret a
Manger

"If I had to fill all our vacancies in British-only applicants I
would not be able to fill them... because of a lack of
applications."

The director said she doubted higher wages would draw UK citizens
to the industry, after being questioned by Labour peer Lord
Darling, who sits on the committee.

We are not seen always as a desirable place to work...

Ms Wareham said: "I actually don’t think increasing pay would do
the trick, I can only talk for Pret on this, but we do pay well
above the National Living Wage, we do have great benefits and we
offer fantastic careers.

"It really is a case of do people want to work in our industry?

"We are not seen always as a desirable place to work and I think
that’s the trick."

Her comments echo those of Brexit Secretary David Davis who said
the door to the UK would not "suddenly shut" because it would
take "years and years" to fill jobs in sectors that rely heavily
on migrants, such as hospitality and social care.

Marina Nazario/Business
Insider

Pret A Manager has had to defend its use of foreign workers in
the past.

In 2011, the company was at the centre of a row with then
Employment Minister Chris Grayling, who said it was
"unacceptable" for fast-food chains to employ foreign staff at a
time when unemployment in Britain had reached a 17-year high.

At the time Mr Grayling told Sky News: "It is certainly a
situation that I find unacceptable. Of course, this country has
benefited from people coming in from other countries to work.

"But I want to see more young people in positions in this country
and I want… to see them getting jobs that become vacant, rather
than people coming into the UK."

Pret responded by saying people of all nationalities were welcome
to apply, and that in some stores, particularly in London, more
non-UK born workers applied for jobs compared to British workers.

A member of BBC's
'Question Time' audience recently asked 'who would be serving our
coffee in Pret?' if EU citizens were not allowed to work in the
UK.BBC Question Time Clips /
YouTube

Then-mayor Boris Johnson also weighed in on the debate, saying:
"Look at the London service economy. Go to Pret a Manger. How
many native Londoners serve you? Ask yourself, what's going on?"

The row resurfaced in 2013 when it was revealed that eight in ten
workers at Pret were foreign born.

The company claimed to be tackling the issue, however, the
proportion of its workforce that was born in Britain had only
risen from 17 per cent to 20 per cent in a year.

Chief executive Clive Schlee said at the time: "We are pleased
that we have seen some encouraging signs and that the number of
British workers at Pret has increased.

"But this is not a Pret issue, this is an industry-wide issue and
there is no quick fix."